because clean, gluten-free eating is anything but boring

What makes them ooey-gooey? The chocolate chips! That’s right, baby. Nestle chocolate chips are gluten-free. Milk them for all they’re worth, I say!

There is quite an abundance of gf brownie recipes online so this afternoon I picked one and set the stand mixer to twirlin’. I did make a couple of minor modifications so I’m gonna give you my modified recipe because well, they turned out rather splendidly.

The recipe calls for 2 cups of vegetable oil.

“Nay,” said I. “That is too much oil.”

Enter: natural applesauce.

You’ll see my modified oil:applesauce ratio in the recipe.

Xanthan gum may as well be powdered diamonds. It costs fifteen bucks for about a cup. Thankfully, you typically only use a teaspoon or two in any one recipe.

These brownies are somewhat dense and delightfully cakey. They’re not really healthy, so to speak, so as with any baked treat you shouldn’t chow down on them with reckless abandon. The one and a half I just ate suited me quite nicely.

They passed the Small-Blondie Taste Test, too.

Success!

Let me know if you try them. :-)

OOEY GOOEY GLUTEN-FREE BROWNIES

4 eggs

1 c sucanat

1 c sugar

1/2 c vegetable oil

3/4 c natural applesauce

2/3 c cocoa powder

2 c gluten-free flour mix

1 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp gluten-free vanilla

3/4 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease 9×13 pan.

Beat eggs until thick. Add sugar and mix well.

In small bowl, mix together oil, applesauce and cocoa powder. Add to egg mixture and mix well.

Add flour, xanthan gum and vanilla. Mix well to combine all ingredients.

Spread batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Enjoy, and thank you from the bottom of my gluten-free heart for reading!

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I guess I wasn’t willing to give up my favorite cereals, breads, pastas and baked goodies. It’s not like I hadn’t considered it. When it came down to it, the thought of living without these delicious foods was very unappealing. Seemed impossible, really.

The last eight days have been incredibly eye-opening.

I’ve been reading Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s book, The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide. Elisabeth has celiac disease and talks about how ridiculously underdiagnosed the disease is, as is gluten intolerance as a whole. This needs to change.

When doctors performed a panel of stomach tests on me over ten years ago and declared the results to be “perfectly normal” for each and every one, they finally diagnosed me with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Yep, good ol’ IBS – the be-all, end-all, “we have no idea what’s wrong with you” diagnosis.

This excerpt from Hasselbeck’s book speaks volumes:

What’s behind these terribly low diagnostic rates? “One of the reasons celiac disease is so grossly underdiagnosed in this country,” says Dr. Green, “is that the pharmaceutical industry has such a major role in the direction of health care here. In many countries around the world, where there are national health plans , doctors are actively encouraged to diagnose celiac disease. In this country, the pharmaceutical industry provides eighty percent of the money for medical research. It also provides a lot of money for postgraduate education, and there just aren’t any drug companies that are interested in researching celiac disease [and gluten intolerance]. There’s basically no money in it – no drug company will provide funds for the research.”

Simply put: Since there are no drugs to treat celiac disease, pharmaceutical companies stand to gain no profits from encouraging its diagnosis.

“It’s a general problem in our culture,” Dr. Weil said of these lopsided priorities, “and I think it’s both that people don’t have the information and motivation to take responsibility for their wellbeing, and that the system is economically locked into paying for interventions with drugs, not for lifestyle counseling. The whole system is dysfunctional. It’s all one big knot, and I don’t know where you begin to push. In general, we’re so locked into using pharmaceuticals to treat everything that when we come across conditions that we can’t treat with drugs, we tend to pay less attention to them.”

So what are we to do?

If you suffer from abdominal pain and discomfort that comes and goes – and is sometimes so bad that it has you lying on your bed in the fetal position clutching your abdomen – and you suspect gluten might be the cause, make an appointment with your doctor and show up to his office armed with information. Be clear that you think it could be gluten intolerance. If you’re concerned about celiac disease, make sure you tell your doctor you want a blood test and maybe even an intestinal biopsy. Above all, don’t let him shove it under the rug. Gluten intolerance sucks and NEEDS to be taken seriously

And, for Pete’s sake, don’t do what I did and put off going on a gluten-free diet for years and years! TRY IT. Like, starting NOW!

I won’t go into the nitty gritty details of it but – there are many, many foods that contain gluten that you never would have thought contained gluten! Read up on it. Make sure that you let NO gluten cross your lips. None. Nada. Zilcho. This is the only way your body will tell let you know if, indeed, it cannot handle gluten.

There is so much more information online and in books written on the topic. If you have persistent, unexplainable stomach pain please do some reading. There is much to know. And there is hope.

Now let’s get practical.

A visit to Trader Joe’s and a wonderful independent health food store today proved encouraging. When you discover that gluten does terrible things to your body, you begin to change your entire perception of food – and your trips to the grocery store change a whole lot, too.

Some of the things I bought today:

And a LOAD of produce. Naturally gluten-free food in all its delicious glory!

When you endure years of bewildering, debilitating, extremely frustrating digestive problems and then you finally feel so, so very much better, you want to help others who may be going through the same thing.

For the past month or so, my lower abdomen has been giving me a LOT of trouble. Pain, cramping, and discomfort so severe it has me feeling nauseous and almost entirely incapable of doing anything besides laying on my back.

Stomach pain is not foreign to me. About ten years ago I was diagnosed with IBS and GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). Paxil and regular meetings with a God-sent Christian counselor gradually transformed me back into the person I knew was in there somewhere. Regular exercise worked wonders, as well. (To this day, that is one of the main reasons I work out very consistently: I’ve experienced firsthand the healing and restorative power of exercise.)

To this day I am still on a maintenance dose of Paxil, and for the most part the IBS and anxiety have been under control. Praise God!

However, since roughly mid-December my belly has been giving me grief again. I honestly can’t think of anything more debilitating than stomach pain. When it hits, I am useless. I am out of commission. I can’t read. I can’t cook. I can’t crochet. I can’t blog. I can barely even talk. It gets that bad.

So where am I at right now?

I am on day two of eliminating gluten from my diet entirely.

And I am feeling significantly better already.

Could going gluten-free be helping that quickly? I don’t know. But my gut says “probably.”

I have suspected gluten intolerance on and off for awhile now. Several months ago I greatly decreased my gluten intake but until now, have never cut it out one hundred percent. Just three days ago I also began taking daily multivitamins that include a powerful probiotic. I am quite confident that this will help, as well.

So here it is, 3:00 in the afternoon, and I have felt great since the moment I woke up this morning. (Yes, there is wood nearby and yes, I am knocking on it.) Is it a fluke? Or is it a direct result of eating NO gluten for the last day and a half? I don’t know yet.

Two things I do know:

Not even the teensiest-tiniest bit of gluten will cross my lips ever again if my belly continues feeling as calm and relieved as it does right now.

This blog may just evolve into a gluten-free eating blog.

If the pain comes back I will be seeking help from a gastroenterologist.

There are so many people who are plagued by miserable, agonizing stomach pain. The reason can be difficult to diagnose. For some, the reason is gluten intolerance. Maybe I’m one of those people, maybe I’m not.

I just wanted to update my dear readers on why my blogging has been so sporadic lately. Thank you sooooooooooooo much to those of you who have been keeping my aching belly in your prayers – continued prayers would be so so much appreciated. And if you or someone you know has stomach issues or gluten intolerance, send them my way and maybe we could continue exploring this together.

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There is just something about meatloaf. Some consider it a comfort food. It’s one of my favorite things to make for dinner because it’s SO easy and very satisfying. Makes the kitchen smell divine, too.

Just about any type of bread makes a wonderful accompaniment to meatloaf, but I almost always make fresh, warm cornbread for a side dish. Up until recently, I made “cornbread souffle” – a recipe that calls for boxed corn bread mix, a buttload of butter, and a can of creamed corn. Lemme tell ya, the stuff melted in your mouth. Now, however, that recipe may be used on special occasions, if at all.

My new recipe calls for organic, stone ground cornmeal. DO NOT BE AFRAID. Bob’s Red Mill makes a wonderful cornmeal that I found at my regular grocery store. There are other great brands out there. You simply need to look.

I give you my new, delicious cornbread recipe! If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, go buy one tomorrow. :-)

Add egg and buttermilk to dry ingredients and mix together to combine. If batter seems dry add more buttermilk.

Lightly mist a skillet with olive oil and place in oven for about 3-4 minutes.

Carefully remove skillet from oven and pour batter into it. Return skillet to oven and bake until top is golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Before I go I need to let you know that when I post recipes, I encourage you to find the most natural/organic form of the ingredients that you can. They go a long way, and they are absolutely necessary for healthy, clean eating. Doooooo iiiiiiiit!

Much love and I’ll see you soon. Thanks for reading!

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You’re at a restaurant skimming the menu, trying to decide what to order. There are so many yummy-sounding options: a bacon cheeseburger with fries, alfredo pasta, loaded mashed potatoes… Nevermind the massive portions most places serve.

I used to order whatever the heck I wanted. Fat content, calorie content and carb content did not even cross my “gimme a great big plate of indulgent food” mind.

Not anymore.

Don’t get me wrong. Once in awhile when I’m out to eat, I splurge. (Take yesterday, for instance. Three yeast rolls smothered in honey-cinnamon butter made their way into my belly with the rest of my large meal!)

As a general rule, however, I try to keep my wits about me when choosing a meal at a restaurant.

Today my girl and I went to the Whistle Stop Cafe for lunch.

I was hungry. My eyes skimmed over the mushroom swiss burger and fries more times than I could count on one hand. (Not even kidding: I sent the waitress away three times before I finally ordered!)

Ended up with a veggie wrap, a side of fresh fruit and – yes – a small serving of mashed taters.

Next time you find yourself perusing a restaurant menu, take a nice deep breath and remind yourself that eating out does NOT have to mean pigging out.

Your heart and your belly – and probably even your next workout – will thank you.